A Little Too Late
by Jusrecht
Summary: It was on the first anniversary of their relationship when Kira and Cagalli discovered that they were actually siblings [Kira x Cagalli, hints of Athrun x Cagalli and Shinn x Athrun]
1. Chapter 1

**Title: A Little Too Late **

**Author: Jusrecht**

**Disclaimer: **Gundam SEED (and Destiny) is the property of Sunrise and the talented people who made this series possible.

**Pairings: **Kira/Cagalli, subtle hints of Athrun/Lacus and Kira/Athrun (because my OTP always manages to get its way into _everything_ I write.

**Summary: **It was on the first anniversary of their relationship when Kira and Cagalli discovered that they were in fact siblings.

**Warning:** _Many._ The most obvious is the unfaithfulness to the original story, particularly regarding Kira-Lacus's canon relationship in anime. The second most obvious one is that in here, Kira is definitely OOC. You will find neither the angst-ridden SEED Kira nor the all-serious-but-I'm-perfect Destiny Kira here. My Kira is – as mentioned in a review for my other fic – eloquent and livelier in a way. Thirdly, a major character has died since the beginning of this story. Fine, let me just say it. Lacus will not make any appearance except in flashes of memories. Four, the characters are all older in here. This may prove to be a problem for some. The fifth one (and probably also the most dreaded by many) this fic contains allusions of male/male pairing, especially in Athrun's case. ). _Don't bother to read if any of the warnings mentioned above bothers you. _

**Dedication:** To everyone who like to read Kira/Cagalli as much as I do.

* * *

"Cheesecakes."

Kira observed the round golden cake displayed at the refrigerated counter in front of him for a moment, and then said to his cell phone doubtfully, "Are you sure? Don't you think she'll fancy something sweeter?"

There was a small sigh coming from the other side of the line. "Honestly, Kira, I don't see why you are asking _me_about this. And no, I don't think she'll appreciate it if you buy her anything that will remotely remind her to our chocolate cake incident last Valentine. How dare you to forget about that, by the way."

Chuckling quietly, Kira replied with mock sincerity, "My dark, dirty secrets are all yours, Athrun. Do me a favor by not telling her the true nature about that incident, will you?"

"So much for a clean, honest relationship," his friend snorted at the other line.

"Hey, there is relativity in everything," he shot back lightly, voice doused in thick amusement. "You're the one who taught me that principle, remember? Or argument. Whatever. I must say that it is very effective to win almost every dispute."

"I curse the day I had the idea to teach you that," Athrun declared, evoking more peals of laughter from him.

There was a moment of pause while Kira busied himself with instructions for the shopkeeper. Personally, he would prefer a large chocolate cake that was sitting at the other end of the counter, but he had always trusted Athrun's judgment when it involved Cagalli. His best friend seemed to have more sense concerning things like this than he did. Even at his age of twenty-four, he still found computers and technicalities easier to deal with than people and emotions. It was exactly the reason why he had chosen not to enter the world of politics and fortunately had managed to avoid doing so in his line of work. Until last week at least.

With the number of knowledge Athrun seemed to possess over the current leader of ORB, one might wonder who was dating who at this stage, but Kira was glad that he had never let any of these bother him. It didn't escape him, though, the likelihood that he had probably asked his friend because the other Coordinator had once dated Cagalli himself and the relationship, quite unexpectedly, had lasted for almost three-and-a-half years through wars and hardships. When it had ended, he had been most surprised, almost upset, but in a way also glad that they still loved each other in their own fashion. There was something wonderful about having the two most important people in your life as the best of friends.

It had taken him another three-and-a-half years to finally realize that he had fallen in love with Cagalli of most people. As a matter of fact, the realization had come on the day she had declared her love to him. So much for being the male part in their relationship. Athrun had called him 'dumbass' that day.

The sound of phone ringing at the other line cut his train of thoughts short and he listened to Athrun's deep, calm voice answering the call. The curt, formal replies his friend made evoked a frown on his temple, and when Athrun had returned to him with a small 'sorry', he immediately asked in a tone that demanded an acceptable explanation. "Isn't it already midnight over there? Are you _still_ in the office?"

"Define office."

"A hellish place where you get lots of migraine and paperwork?"

"Then it's a yes," Athrun answered sourly. "I'm at home, on a couch, surrounded by paperwork and suffering the nastiest headache I've ever had. And Canavar has just said that I most assuredly _am_ going to win in the next chairman election. That just makes my day, you know."

"My deepest condolences, Sir," Kira hardly tried to suppress his amusement although he was fully aware of the cosmic responsibility of a PLANT Council member. "I personally think that she can't wait to dump her work on you."

"My thoughts as well," was the absentminded response. Faintly, he could hear the sound of pen scribbling on a paper at the background, blending with an even fainter echo of Tchaikovsky. The frown left its traces visible on his face as he set his eyes to rows of freshly baked muffins, mind clearly elsewhere. He had never tried to question Athrun's relentless devotion to his work, out loud at least. His private best guess was that it had something to do with a former chairwoman who had been so loved by her people. There had been little talk about them, but Kira would never forget his best friend's expressionless face that day two years ago on Lacus's funeral. Athrun had never tried to confide anything about it to him and he wouldn't attempt to probe a wound he was _not_ sure still bleeding or not.

Kira cleared his throat, uneasiness rapidly surfacing in the growing silence. "Am I interrupting your work by the way?"

"Now you're asking, Kira?" Athrun's tone was much lighter than anticipated and he felt a sigh of relief escaping his slightly parted lips. "Yes, you've been interrupting my work for ten precious minutes. You may want to check tomorrow's obituary in case Yzak has mutilated me into pieces. He's going to need these papers tomorrow morning and I don't think I can finish them if my life depends on it. Which it probably does."

"Oh, stop exaggerating, Athrun," he replied, flippancy returning with ease. "You know you can always give him a slip if you want to."

"That's not the point. I'm talking about my hard-earned credibility."

"Excuses, excuses."

There was a small snort that sounded like suppressed laughter and Kira felt his grin widening. Athrun needed to loosen up sometimes, to escape from his mountains of paperwork and endless duties, and he always considered those chances to make his dearest friend laugh as a privilege he was so fortunate to earn. To think that they had almost killed each other during their first war... he still shuddered at that recollection even now.

A moment later, the voice rose again, quieter than before. "I've heard news about you."

Fingers busily stumbling with his wallet, Kira's only response was a noncommittal hum.

"About your work," his friend continued. "Vice-president already, huh? I thought you were just promoted as the Director of Technology and Development eights months ago."

"Seven. And got promoted again last week," he said unhappily. With his new position, he could no longer escape from politics and its troubles. But his employer, a middle-aged man whose wife and son had long been taken away from him, would hear none of his protests. _"If only you have a little more sense of business, I would have made you my son and put this company in your hand," _was what the pleasant but adamant man had said. The former prospect was not entirely impossible though, if the occasional visits his boss did repeatedly to his mother were anything to go by. Not that he was going to raise any objection in that matter though. If anything, he had been wishing for his mother's happiness since the death of his father seven years ago.

In the meantime, Kira was still expressing his misery. "I really have no idea why. It isn't as if the company needs another vice-president, but for some reasons I am _not_ allowed to refuse. How did you find out anyway?"

"From yesterday's newspaper, an article about the joint venture of two colossal companies," Athrun replied smoothly. "It went something like 'And the representative from NeoLunar Electric Company was Kira Yamato, the newly appointed vice-president whose relationship with Representative Athha, current leader of United Emirates of ORB, has just been recently discovered.' I almost fell off my chair when I read about that."

Kira only sighed mournfully and walked out of the bakery with a package tied neatly with red ribbon held in one hand. Not many boyfriends would buy their girls cheesecakes on their first anniversary but Cagalli had always appreciated little food much more than costly jewelries.

Outside, the sun was still shining cheerfully despite the late afternoon, and Kira couldn't help but to appreciate the fine weather, feeling a slight pity for Athrun who was still confined to his desk at late of night. A large screen which was placed strategically at one corner of a nearby junction was broadcasting the 3 p.m. news and flashes of his girlfriend's face came into view again and again with astonishing consistence. He smiled faintly and started walking to the opposite direction, speaking to his phone, "They are insinuating that I manage to get that position only because of my relationship with Cagalli."

"It's only natural," Athrun replied dryly. "In fact, I would be very surprised if that kind of sarcasm didn't come up."

For once Kira didn't respond, only too aware of his questionable opportunity to attain so high of a position in such young age. He watched people going in and out various of shops and how the street seemed to be bristling with afternoon bustle until his friend spoke again, a note of pensiveness in his voice. "Are you happy, Kira?"

He was surprised, caught unprepared with the turn of discussion, and a pair of eyebrows shot up automatically. Athrun always had reasons behind his every action and he doubted this one was an exception. It must have bothered him greatly if he cared enough to ask and the question itself held many nebulous facets Kira had never tried to confront before.

But he was happy; at least that he was sure about.

"If I'm not, you'll be the first to know, Athrun." He paused, tuning out all other sounds to catch every little ones that might rise on the other side, and then continued a little more carefully, "That wasn't what you wanted to ask, was it?"

There was utter silence which he didn't quite like. It was either his respond was entirely unexpected or the other man was – for once – only too absorbed in his work to provide a prompt reply. He hoped it was the latter although it seemed highly unlikely considering the amount of respect Athrun had always given him. The only moment his friend had turned a deaf ear at him was on the night Lacus had died, and there was absolutely no need for something as terrible as that to happen again.

Kira shook his head, chasing out the grim recollections, which only returned with greater perseverance when Athrun said with a low voice, "I love you both greatly."

"I know," he whispered softly, aware that the narrow path he was treading on was starting to quiver. "And I'm taking this relationship seriously. Actually now I'm searching for a loophole on my schedule when I can visit you at PLANT and drag you out to help me find a ring."

Another silence ensued. Kira stopped in his track waited, for some reasons dreading the response his friend would give him. He bit his lips when Athrun's voice rose again from the other line, small and shaky.

"I will be very honored."

"Not an honor, Athrun," he replied calmly, firmly. "It's my wish because I'm not having it otherwise."

Athrun didn't answer and Kira didn't try to pursue. Instead, he changed the subject with the first one that flitted across his mind. "Are you still dating that...orange-haired guy?"

"It's Heine, Kira," the other corrected amusedly. "And no, I'm not dating him anymore. Not that I have time to anyway."

"Good, because I don't like him," he said in mock-relief, trying to keep away a note of disappointment that was threatening to crack the edge of his voice despite Athrun's soft laugh. How long had it been since Lacus's passing away? He suspected that Athrun had never actually recovered from it – what with the countless relationships he had been into, none of which lasted longer than three weeks. It was a good thing that this 'tendency' didn't really affect his career but Kira sincerely hoped that his best friend could find someone. Lacus was wonderful; Lacus was the epitome of perfection; Lacus was irreplaceable at some points, but she had gone and Athrun was still alive. He just wanted his friend to understand that.

A small, pleasant-looking flower shop flanked between two extravagant boutiques caught his wandering attention and for a moment Kira halted to savor the sea of colours and assorted beauties. His eyes stopped at a particular flower and he asked with a touch of breathless excitement from his younger years. "Athrun, what do you think about yellow Carnation?"

"Bad idea," was the prompt reply. "It means rejection or something like that. Or so Meyrin said when I was about to send a fellow Council member yellow carnations." He paused for a while as if thinking, and then suggested, "Lilies are better, if you must give her any. The white ones."

Kira grinned to his cell phone. "I love you so much. Remind me to send you chocolates on Valentine."

"No white chocolate or I'll give it back to you on White Day."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Aye, Sir."

* * *

With cheesecake balanced in one hand and a bouquet of white lilies atop of it, Kira closed his car's door and started to make his way to the front door of the Athha's imposing residence. A small blue car parked at the sideway made him raise his eyebrows; she had promised him her evening, but then again the highest degree of tolerance was needed when your girlfriend was the leader of such important nation like ORB. Dealing with urgent matters or guests at home was not at all rare for her to do.

After pressing the doorbell and waiting for a moment, a familiar figure opened the door for him and he received a delighted exclamation immediately after. "Kira-sama!"

"Good evening, Mana," he bent slightly to give an affectionate kiss on her plump cheeks, earning himself a motherly smile in return. "Is Cagalli at home?"

"The lady has just returned," she replied, motioning to the inner rooms, "but now she is still accepting a guest. Please wait in the drawing room for a moment and I will inform her of your arrival."

"It's fine. I'll just wait," he quickly said and handed her the package he had been holding, explaining cheerfully, "Cheesecake for Cagalli. Could you put it on a platter or something?"

At that moment, a man appeared from the parlor, averting his attention at once to casual clothing and a small briefcase clasped in a thin, pale hand. His searching eyes found Kira's and the latter took an instant dislike to the stranger, either it was because of the gaunt face or the odd light in the eyes. The fellow nodded slightly at him, an act that somehow made Kira wince instead of like him better. Still, courtesy left him with no choice but to return the gesture and watch the man creep away in silence.

"Who was that?" asked Kira after the guest had left.

"He introduced himself as a journalist from New Heliopolis," Mana answered with a low voice, shooting disdainful looks at the closed door. "A strange chap, wasn't he? I almost refused to admit him in earlier, but apparently he had made an appointment with Cagalli-sama." Then, with unexpected rapidity, she altered her mood and smiled at him. "I'll take care of the cake, Kira-sama. Please see the lady now."

Ushered by the older woman, Kira ended in the wide, sunlit parlor. At the middle of the room, there were couches circling a low desk and he noticed Cagalli sitting in one of them with her back turned at the door, still wearing her formal, white uniform. With a smile he approached the silent figure, causing as little noise as possible and flowers hidden at his back. She did not move and he smiled even wider, finishing his last step more loudly and brandishing the bouquet under her nose.

A hand – no, a fist – was launched toward his face, which barely dodged the sudden attack as he caught the hand in his firm grip. He laughed, taking in her surprised look with something akin to relish, and put the bouquet into her hands, speaking softly, "You barely notice me coming in. A hard day?"

"No, not that," she replied in a vague tone, absentmindedly fingering the petals of the lilies on her lap. Kira seated himself beside her and waited patiently, noting the strange look on her face but keeping all opinions to himself for the moment, as she seemed to struggle for words. He was wondering about the guest earlier when she suddenly ask, voice calm and solemn. "Does it ever strike you as odd, Kira, that our birthday falls exactly on the same day?"

"That is a wonderful coincidence in my opinion," he replied still with a smile.

"Coincidence indeed," she said quietly, but he could place the sarcastic edges in it. With some difficulties he managed to suppress a frown and remain silent, before then receiving yet another question. "You were...adopted by your parents, right?"

"What brought this up?" Kira brought his hand up, caressing her blond locks like he often did when she was in one of her bad moods. But she flinched a little instead, and that withdrew his hand back to his side. He was puzzled but still gave her an answer with a nonchalant shrug. "Yes, they adopted me when I was one year-old or so. I don't really remember."

Cagalli turned a pair of golden eyes at him, emotions warring in them. "And do you know that I am not my father's real child either?"

"I recall your mentioning it once," he answered carefully, not liking the turns this conversation was taking. "What's this all about, Cagalli?"

"We have been incredibly stupid," she released a bitter laugh and waved at the papers that were scattered all over the desk. "You may want to take a look at those by yourself."

Still bewildered, he set his sight on the disorganized jumble. The first article that caught his attention was a small picture, old but still striking amidst many other colorless documents, and he picked it up. It was a picture of a young mother with her two newly born babies. Twins, he noted quietly, and instantly was horrified by the sudden idea that crossed his mind. He looked up and found Cagalli stubbornly looking at the windows, avoiding his eyes entirely. Did the earlier questions she had bombarded him with mean that...? He looked down again at the picture, incredulous.

"There is an explanation at the back," she suddenly said, holding back the tremor in her voice.

Kira flipped back the picture and had to rub his eyes to make sure he had read the scribbled words right. At the lower right corner was his name along with hers, written plainly and clearly. For a long moment he was unable to react, overwhelmed by shock and numbness that had spread down to his every joints and fibers. When he finally looked up, this time meeting her tempestuous eyes, he could only utter one word.

"Why?"

_- To be continued -_

_

* * *

_

**Notes:** Every time I'm put off by the development in the anime, I always feel the urge to write. This time it's the ending of GSD and this fic is the result. And Gundam SEED series _was_ so close in becoming my favourite Gundam series...

I _do_ have reasons for not including Lacus here. In my eyes, Lacus is perfect and that's why I want to keep her in memory. Another reason, I cannot (dare not) write about someone that perfect. Okay, blame me. She is always the hardest character for me to write, which explains her absence in most of my fics. As for hints of Kira/Athrun, that's my ego speaking and my ego is very big, not to mention, violent. Somehow it's easier to write about them when I'm focusing on other pairings. Stupid me.

If anyone feels the need of any explanation, feel free to ask. I'll try to answer, either in the story or as a reply in the next chapter. Thank you for reading. Hope you find it enjoyable. And review please.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: A Little Too Late**

**Author: Jusrecht**

See _Disclaimer_ and _Warnings_ in the first chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

His eyes hurt.

Kira rubbed them tiredly with the back of his hand, the other one still loosely holding a sheaf of papers he had been reading for the last several hours under the solitary lamp hovering above his head. He had lost track of time since a while ago and living alone in a mansion twenty-floor high didn't help, but it must be late enough. At least that would explain his exhaustion.

The gist of the materials was in fact simple – shocking, without a doubt, and rather unbelievable – but simple nonetheless.

He was Cagalli's younger brother. Her _related-by-blood_ twin brother.

It could have been good news, Kira reflected bitterly, had it come to him few years before, when looking at her evoked nothing more than a wish to simply always be her friend. It would also be good news if the name which was written at the back of the old picture and many other documents he had thoroughly studied was not hers. On second thought, it could have been a mistake made by some scatterbrained scientist and several misplaced files. It could have been a bluff flaunted by greedy paparazzi with no credible base whatsoever for the sake of little money.

It could have been anything but this cruel joke.

Reaching to his right to put the light out, Kira closed his eyes and leant back to sink deeper in the sofa, taking a few minutes to finally pause the frantic, nonstop reeling of his mind and begin to see the issue in a broader point of view. So, according to many research details and records, he and Cagalli were – somehow – related.

As siblings.

Yes, apparently the young woman he was going to propose was his own sister. It always came back to that point. _His own sister._

Raised through wars and their countless afflictions, Kira had learned not to believe everything just as they were right away and he had reacted no different in this case. After studying the papers with Cagalli for the second time yesterday, he had called his mother to make clear of some facts. To his utmost dismay, the answers his mother had bewilderedly given him didn't seem to contradict any detail which was written there. Of course. He should have expected that. Anyone who dared to confront the fearless leader of ORB with this kind of fact must be pretty confident of the cards he was playing.

It didn't make the newly discovered truth any easier to accept though. A part of him still insisted that something suspicious was going on, that he should not believe it without clearer proofs.

But that journalist was ready. He could provide more evidences should the need arise, he had calmly stated. Even a living witness if they had to go that far.

All of a sudden, Kira felt the urge to laugh out loud. He was bordering on hysterical – or something much worse than that. Maybe he should rest. Or eat. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday's lunch and his body felt cold. For a while he lamented for not going back to his mother's house, but it was too far, at the border of the city, and he had wanted to be alone, to look into the papers more closely by himself and so he had gone here instead.

He didn't want to meet anyone, not even Cagalli. As a matter of fact, he didn't know what else to do but to keep reading, suspecting and denying.

A train of sharp knockings, loud against the utter silence of his apartment, came from the door and Kira's eyes snapped open. For a moment he froze, his state of mind quickly lending strange ideas to his thought. It sounded real but he noted no sign of daylight yet through his uncovered window and his acquaintances were generally civilized enough to pay a visit at less unearthly hours. Or perhaps it was just his brain that was so close to dysfunction and weariness stubbornly kicking in.

Kira had not moved from his seat when the raps repeated themselves. Slightly frowning, he thought of his doorbell – why knocking if you could just push the bell – but went to the door nevertheless.

Well, if that journalist had come to repeat his blackmailing intention, Kira had _every_ intention to tell him his opinion about it with his fist. Not to mention for disturbing him before daybreak.

Unfortunately – or fortunately – it wasn't the guilty man.

"As I thought, you're still awake," the small, unsmiling mouth said.

"Ath–!"

"Cagalli called me," Athrun cut him short and stormed inside without waiting for any invitation, leaving him dumbfounded at the threshold. It took Kira three full seconds to finally react and close the door behind him to follow his guest. Standing in the middle of the room, Athrun glared at him from behind a curtain of dark-blue fringes.

Feeling his childhood timidity rapidly returning, Kira gulped, more nervous than he had been in years. "How do you know I'm here?"

The reply was quick to come, but his friend's tone did nothing to lessen his uneasiness. "I called your house earlier and your mum said you hadn't returned. You weren't at Cagalli's place either, so I put two and two together and went here at once."

Kira only nodded, his unclear mind still incapable to process the fact that Athrun was here for any reason at all. It had been months since the last time he had seen his best friend in person and now, at God-knows-what-hour in the morning – or not yet morning – said best friend appeared on his doorstep without any prior notice. Someone had to set a limit of how much surprise one was allowed to handle in one day.

Eyes still set on him, Athrun set his few luggage on the floor and suddenly demanded, looking more sullen than ever. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you?" he repeated automatically.

A pair of emerald eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't play stupid, Kira. It was Cagalli who told me about this news. I didn't hear a _single_ word from you. Why is that?"

"You were busy," he replied defensively, feeling even more defenseless under the fierce glare. "I don't want to disturb you."

The eyes hardened. "I'm your friend first and everything else second, do you hear me?"

There was no respond Kira could offer to do those words – that statement – enough justice and he knew it. To give his friend the fiercest hug or to cry in his arms like he had so often done during the first years of them together wasn't sufficient to explain the myriad emotions he felt. Athrun did not have an exactly open personality, and for him to express himself in such words was beyond Kira's every hope. It was a confession, an admission and, more than everything, an honor for him to still be his best friend's best friend.

In the end, Kira chose to stay at where he was and looked down at his fingers that were scraping the armrest of his couch, his question coming out low and uncertain. "Your paperwork?"

"I've finished them," was Athrun's brisk reply. "Have you eaten anything since you called me?"

A weak, guilty smile and full-scale timidity surfaced. "Uh, no."

"Thought so," his friend grumbled and grabbed a plastic bag that was set on top of his few belongings. Kira's eyes widened as packages of take-away Chinese food emerged from the bag.

"Bought them on my way here," Athrun said, extending a pair of chopsticks at him. Kira didn't react, only eyeing his friend with a muddled blend of disbelief and puzzlement. At this point, he was so close to being convinced that he had fallen asleep due to extreme exhaustion and this was just a weird dream supposed exhaustion was generating.

His lack of reaction seemed to aggravate Athrun who clicked his tongue impatiently. "Come on, Kira. I know these aren't the healthiest food but you need to eat something. At least something better than instant noodles."

"I wasn't thinking about that," he sighed, finally taking the offered food.

From across the table, his friend made a face at him. "Actually I was hoping you were thinking about that and _not _some other stupid things."

"Not stupid things," Kira replied, distractedly checking the content of his fried noodle with the chopsticks. Not much healthier, perhaps, but shrimp and a little vegetable should make a difference in term of nutrition. He looked up and, finding his friend's emerald eyes were still fixed on him, smiled slightly. "I was thinking what I've done to deserve such wonderful friend."

Athrun's hand, which was reaching for another package of fried noodles, froze in mid-air as he stared at Kira who only grinned in return and started eating, grateful that the noodles were still somewhat warm. It was moments later when his friend eventually spoke, with a tone that might sound firm had it contained less emotion, "You can spend the rest of your life thinking about it once this is over."

Kira only smiled.

Halfway in finishing his food, he heard the younger man's soft baritone rose again, marginally quieter than before. "Do you want to discuss it?"

"You want to hear about it, don't you?"

"My want can wait." A firm note returned to Athrun's voice. "When was the last time you sleep?"

Kira raised his eyebrows. "Last night. When was the last time _you_ sleep?"

For the first time that night, Athrun faltered, a small tinge of red spreading on his pale cheeks, a stark contrast to the dark circles under his eyes. "Ah...well...I'm not sure–"

"We're going straight to bed after this," he cut off the stuttered answer decisively, wondering to no end why both of them couldn't seem to properly look after themselves without the other. His friend only muttered something unintelligible as a response, which he took as an affirmation. They had resumed their eating in silence for a few minutes before he broke it once more with a soft question, "How much did Cagalli tell you?"

Athrun looked up from his noodles, tone cautious as he answered, "Only the general picture. She sounded too shaken to be coherent."

"In front of me she played it cool enough," Kira said, trying to sound nonchalant – and failing utterly. He winced when Athrun's eyes met his with a stern, almost scolding gaze.

"She doesn't want to worry you unnecessarily."

Aware that his friend recognized the doubt that was slowly breeding inside him, he only muttered, "I know. But this is our problem right?"

"You're not exactly calm either, are you?" A hint of impatience seeped into Athrun's voice. "She's just asking for my support, Kira. That doesn't mean she trusts you any less."

Kira stared at the last piece of shrimp at the bottom of his now empty dinner container, mumbling, "You think so?"

"I do," the other Coordinator replied with a tone that demanded him to leave the matter at that and turned his attention to the remaining of their dinner – or too early breakfast if one bothered to spare a glance to the clock on the far wall across the room. "You've finished with that?"

After stuffing the empty containers to their plastic bag, Athrun rose to take them to the kitchen. Suddenly Kira had a strange urge to keep his friend from leaving as he stared at the mass of night-blue hair disappearing at the corner. He had wanted to be alone, yes, and yet now he felt that he would do anything for his friend not to vanish from his sight.

When Athrun came back with two steaming mugs a moment later, Kira released a long sigh, slightly astonished to discover that he had been holding his breath. He accepted one of the mugs with a small grateful thanks, gladly breathing in the relaxing scent of Earl Grey.

"Those are the documents?" Athrun returned to his seat, eyes scanning the papers scattered on the low table. Kira nodded. _Time for business._

"Yeah, a fantastic compilation I have to say. That man must have worked damn hard to put his hand on these. There is even the legal paper of my parents adopting me and Cagalli's father adopting her. I have no idea how he got those." He paused and took a careful sip from his mug. An unfamiliar tang, a different bitterness than that of the tea spread on his tongue and down his throat, leaving biting traces of fire on its wake. Wrinkling his face, he looked up to Athrun, incredulity etched all over his face.

"You added brandy? Are you trying to make me drunk?"

"I'm trying to make you sleep," his friend corrected calmly, sipping his own share of brandy-laced tea

"It won't work," Kira muttered, mouth pouting and yet still taking more sips from his mug, all the way doubting his own words as alcohol-induced-warmth started to flow within him. He must have showed it somehow because Athrun was now smiling smugly at him.

"Indeed."

Kira fixed him with a sour look. "I hate it when you're right. You're always right."

The other coordinator hid his grin behind his mug. "It's in my nature, Kira – to be right, that is. I can't do anything about it. Now why don't you be a good boy and finish that tea."

"Tell me one _good_ reason why I always do what you want me to do," he grumbled but did as was told.

"You didn't," Athrun answered, suddenly sounding too solemn to his liking. "Always, I mean."

A look of utter disbelief resided on Kira's face. "It was so long ago, Athrun! I can't believe you're still remembering that! And in case you've forgotten, we were at two opposing sides during that war!"

"That still counts," his friend pointed out, still trying to keep his expression serious, but amusement had obviously won over his dark memories. His dark-green eyes met Kira's and they both laughed, the trouble at hand momentarily forgotten under the strong, almost desperate surge of laughter. They only stopped when Athrun almost spilled the remaining of his tea and spoiled the documents spread on the table. Kira watched the mirth rapidly diminishing from his friend's eyes which were now staring at the papers like they were some sort of dangerous specimen, and he could almost see Athrun's typical seriousness fall into place as the present matter returned to weigh them both heavily. Athrun sighed and asked, "What does that man want anyway?"

"He hasn't said anything about wanting something in return," Kira said after a moment of thoughts, and then added with a quieter voice, "or Cagalli is hiding it from me."

"Not the latter," his friend said sternly. "Anyway, whatever he wants, I'm sure his reason isn't just to guide you to the right path or something along that line."

"We're on the wrong one, aren't we?" The words stumbled out of his mouth only a little above a whisper. It was difficult to speak when a lump of lead seemed to have dropped its weight on your head.

Athrun's face paled. "Wait, Kira, I've never said–"

"She's my sister, Athrun..." he said in a tight voice, looking straight at his empty mug.

His friend sighed and rested a soothing hand on his knee, speaking tentatively, "We cannot be too sure about it yet."

"I'm almost sure it's true," Kira suddenly snapped, his voice rising. Catching the startled look on Athrun's face, he bit the remaining of his words and forced himself to subdue his tone a bit. "No one is stupid enough to play around with information like this if it's a lie, especially to her. There are lots of easier victims if his intention is to gain quick money."

"Perhaps," the other man admitted half-heartedly.

"And I was so close to proposing her," he continued through gritted teeth. "I guess I have to thank God for letting me know before...before anything irrevocable happened."

It was difficult to look at Athrun now, especially with tears-blurred eyes. Grown-up men should not cry, no matter how often he had cried when he had been younger. He was putting the full blame on the brandy when he was enveloped by a pair of arms, his head pressed to a firm chest. The next thing he heard was Athrun's trembling voice whispering in front of his ear.

"I'm so sorry, Kira..."

"What for?" his question came out as a harsh laugh, muffled by his friend's shirt, his eyes burning with suppressed tears.

But Athrun did not answer, merely holding him close as the night blended with the first streaks of sunrise.

* * *

It was the sharp ringing of his cell phone that waked him up from his dreamless sleep.

Kira struggled to open his eyes, his hand reaching out blindly to find the offending object and found nothing. Mind still unfocused, he tried to sit up to get a better look when a sleep-roughed voice put an end to the ringing.

"Yes?" A pause, during which Kira wondered groggily why Athrun was in his room. "Oh, right. Okay, I'll get him."

"It's Cagalli," his friend muttered, holding out the phone to him. At the mentioning of her name, the unpleasant recollections of the events on the day before came rushing back at him in violent waves of memories. Kira nodded numbly and took his cell phone from Athrun's hand, mumbling a weak 'yes?' to the receiver.

"That man called me," Cagalli's voice rose from the other line, carrying a strange edge that flung his eyes even wider despite the news it conveyed.

"What? When?" He glanced at his alarm clock on the bedside and was horrified to find out that both of its hands were currently pointing at the number eleven.

"Just now in the office. He told me what he wanted in exchange of that information. Do you want to hear them now?"

"No, I'll be there in a second," Kira quickly said, sparing a glance at Athrun who had risen from the bed and now was heading to the bathroom on his cue. "Where are you?"

She was silent for a moment, but then said, "Meet me at home in half-an-hour."

* * *

An hour later found Kira and Athrun standing in front of the large glass window of the Athha's parlor, both sporting anxious looks scarred by impatience on their faces. Every so often Kira would resign to his impatience and pace around the room, trying to hurl dark thoughts out of his mind as his eyes darted again and again to the door.

"There she is," Athrun suddenly said and Kira quickly rushed to the window. A black car had just passed the gate and now halted in front of the Athha's mansion. A young woman in white official uniform descended from it and entered the house, leaving their lines of sight. A minute later, the door to the parlor was opened from the other side.

"Sorry, I'm late," Cagalli walked in briskly with the air of a busy politician she often wore in public. Her feet, fully clad in formal boots, stopped in mid-step, as if unsure where to head next after she made her entrance. Her previously impassive face, however, took a drastic turn when she noticed Athrun by the window and Kira saw, for the slightest moment, a glimpse of the old Cagalli, the one who had not understood what the word 'politics' meant yet, as she strode forward and let herself to be embraced by the dark-haired young man.

It was the old Cagalli who had needed Athrun in her life very much.

_Don't be stupid,_ Kira reprimanded himself, half-annoyed that such thought could enter his mind. It was not as if his best friend had the slightest intention to snatch his girlfriend away from–

He stopped there, refusing to pursue the line of thought further where he would most surely stumble upon lots of corrections and denials. He must start to remember that he, properly and ethically, no longer had any girlfriend. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that had settled deep in his stomach, Kira turned his attention back at his friend and forced himself to listen and pay no heed to the bitter whispers which told him that Cagalli seemed to pretend that he was not there.

"Did that journalist really call you?"

"Yes," Cagalli replied promptly, seeming glad that Athrun had initiated the conversation, as she disentangled herself from his arms. "It didn't sound like his voice though, but I'm not really sure." She paused, eyes carefully avoiding Kira who was standing at her left, and then added, "Probably he has partners."

"Obviously," Athrun snorted softly, searching Kira from the corner of his eyes. "No one can acquire that much of information single-handedly. What did he want?"

She inhaled a deep breath before answering, "He would keep his mouth closed under two conditions only. The first was that I must abrogate the law concerning the prohibition of possessing any sort of gun without a formal authorization from ORB military–"

"That's outrageous!" Kira opened his mouth for the first time. His shout was finally able to oblige her to look at him, but he could simply care less. His mind was full with the memories of their younger, war-filled years and Cagalli's arduous efforts to implement that act, and his blood seethed in his veins. It was worse than asking for money. Much worse.

A gentle hand was laid on his shoulder and Athrun asked quietly, "And the second?"

Cagalli's posture went rigid, her hands balling into fists at her side. "He demanded Kira," her stormy eyes met his, her voice betraying a small, quivering note, "to leave ORB in three days and never to return under any circumstance."

Silence descended as the three of them stared at each other. The first demand had been unexpected but the second one was downright astonishing. Head suddenly spinning, Kira whispered, incredulous, "Me? He wants me to leave ORB?"

"That was unusual for a demand from a blackmailer," Athrun said with an odd tone.

Cagalli shrugged. "That's what he said."

"I can manage the second," Kira declared all of a sudden, words rushing out of his mouth as if he was afraid that he would lose his wits before they left him, "but you must not agree to the first."

She regarded him coolly. "I won't risk a scandal."

"But Cagalli–!"

A soft but clear sound of ringing broke off their brewing argument. Fishing out a cell phone from his trousers's pocket, Athrun looked up apologetically and hurried toward the door. "Excuse me for a moment."

Now that he was left alone with the young, obstinate leader of ORB, Kira pressed even harder. "Cagalli, you can't."

"There is fewer to risk if we are to agree," she reasoned, more lines of impatience appearing on her brow. "I must choose what is best."

"Don't you think you're mixing up your priorities here?"

Her golden eyes gleamed dangerously. "Excuse me?"

Kira crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest, his voice holding a hint of accusation. "Why are you afraid of people knowing that we are siblings? Because you're leading a country?"

"Well, Kira, I _happen_ to be leading a country," she retorted sharply, her voice rising. "I definitely can't afford a scandal."

"Does your office mean much more than your people?" Kira felt that he was also losing his patience rapidly. "What if riots rise again because there is no severe punishment for owning guns? You know that, don't you? That was the reason that you implemented that law in the first place! "

A small sound from the door interrupted them and both turned at Athrun who was staring at them oddly from the threshold, his fingers still gripping the handle. The blue-haired Coordinator opened his mouth, ready to say something when Cagalli's voice rose again, cutting him before he spoke.

"We need to think about this with a cooler head."

Aghast to see that she was advancing toward the door, Kira reached for her shoulder. "Wait, Caga–"

"No," she spun around and edged away from his touch, steel palpable in her voice. "I think I must consider this matter carefully on my own. I know you aren't comfortable with this discovery, Kira, and so am I. There is nothing we can do about that and unfortunately, our opinions are too greatly different. Excuse me."

He could only watch her leave with wide eyes, hand still frozen in mid-air. It was worse than he had expected. Meeting his friend's apprehensive gaze, Kira muttered, feeling astonished and miserable at once, "She seems scared of me."

Athrun closed his eyes, refusing to offer any comment on that declaration and saying instead, "You didn't mention anything about the present status of your relationship."

"Is there anything else to be discussed about that, Athrun?" Kira said, drips of anger catching up quickly in his voice. "I think it's clear enough that we are siblings."

His friend didn't answer but Kira could see his lips thinning.

_- To be continued -_

_

* * *

_

**Notes:** Not too much Kira/Cagalli romance I know, but we obviously can't expect them to be romancing around with the knowledge that they're brother and sister. I may put something in the future though, if the situation permits. For those who think that Cagalli is behaving selfishly, I apologize. I just assume that it is how a young woman who's leading a country will react in front of a problem like this. Excuse me if I'm wrong. Review please.

By the way, Athrun's line 'I'm your friend first and everything else second' is taken from a game. Not word-by-word though. Cookies for anyone who can guess what game it is.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: A Little Too Late **

**Author: Jusrecht**

See _Disclaimer_ and _Warnings_ in the first chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Kira stepped out of his bedroom, eyes still barely open at seven in the morning, and was greeted with the sight of Athrun pacing to and fro in his living room, shouting to his cell phone.

"That's not what I said two days ago! Three containers of grains! Who said anything about cranes? Draught and famine is striking New Heliopolis and who knows how many lives have been lost owing to your stupidity! You do that before I return, Under Secretary, or I'll send _you_ to starve with them for the rest of your life!" A deafening pause, then, "No! That's not for you to decide! Ask Meyrin if–"

Mind still under the spell of sleep, Athrun's tirade was only absentmindedly registered as he went to the pantry, intent for a cup of coffee. He still had an hour to spend in complete leisure before ORB's traffic would force him to leave if he wanted to arrive at his office in time. He was adding his second teaspoonful of creamer when Athrun slammed his phone to the couch.

"A bunch of imbeciles," his friend muttered, fury and impatience lining every word.

"Exploding in the morning is bad for your blood pressure you know," Kira put in a comment and went to fetch hot water, completely ignoring Athrun's murderous glare.

"If you were in my place, I think you would already have a heart attack," the younger man retorted, and then returned to his rant, "I have stated my instruction to them, carefully, word-by-word, and God only knows how it still can go wrong. _Cranes! _Why would a full-built colony need three containers of cranes? There is something wrong with his common sense. And why didn't Meyrin mention anything to me?"

Pouring hot water to his cup, Kira sent a sidelong look from the corner of his eyes. "Maybe you need to return for a while."

"No."

He sighed. "Listen, Athrun–"

"No, you listen, Kira," Athrun cut him off, emerald eyes glowing with serious stubbornness. "I'm not leaving ORB at least not until the day after tomorrow, and I'm _not_ leaving you. Is that clear?"

Aware that his friend would not change his mind, Kira admitted defeat and focused on stirring his blended coffee. Across the room, Athrun was still marching back and forth, occasionally throwing nasty looks to his cell phone. Kira was in the verge of telling him that it was not the poor little mobile's fault when the navy-haired Coordinator looked up, halting his striding for a moment.

"Don't you read newspaper, Kira?"

"Yeah, but I do that in my office," Kira replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I seldom use this place, only if I have to return really late from work. You know how far my mother's house is." Noticing the deflated look in Athrun's face, he added, "I can get you one if you want to. There is a store downstairs."

"I'll get it," his friend quickly said, already advancing to the door. Before disappearing behind it, he looked back and nodded to the dining table, "I made breakfast, by the way. Which means you get to wash the dishes."

Kira's protest died halfway since Athrun had closed the door with a wide grin. Both of them hated that particular chore – and his friend _must_ have known about it – but Kira couldn't say that he really minded it much. In fact, he had a suspicion that it was merely Athrun's effort to show that he cared without seeming too patronizing, and who was he to refuse such subtle display of affection? One thing for sure, he would never say no to his friend's homemade bagel, which he had yet to find any match anywhere in term of taste.

He was coating his fourth piece with honey when the door was opened so suddenly and Athrun's footsteps came up to him in hurry. A moment later his friend appeared, sporting an angry-anxious look on his face, crumpled newspaper in one hand. Kira was about to ask when the other man spoke first, voice strained as if there were too many emotions bottled inside.

"You don't have to think what to do with you and Cagalli anymore."

Kira raised a pair of eyebrows as Athrun tossed the newspaper to his direction. Putting down his bagel, he caught the creased paper with his other hand and unfolded it, looking straight at the headline news. That stopped his heart from beating.

Printed in big letters was the title: _An Astonishing Revelation: They Are Twins_

Under a large picture of he himself and Cagalli was the long article begun with the words: _Kira Yamato, protector of the world peace and a war hero since C.E. 71, and Cagalli Yula Athha, the leader of the Emirate of ORB, who have just revealed their relationship to the public recently, according to several sources were apparently siblings related by blood._ Following was the description of proofs like those he had received from the journalist, added with a testimony of a former assistant who had worked at the laboratory where the experiment to make the ultimate Coordinator had been conducted.

In front of him, Athrun was still muttering, "It was _Inter ORB_, newspaper with a high reputation. I can't imagine what is reported in less honorable paper or tabloid. How did they find out anyway? We haven't done anything that might trigger them to do something this drastic."

Kira looked up from the paper, his voice small and croaked, "Do you think Cagalli has given her answer already?"

"Impossible," his friend answered instantly, "she would have told you if she intended to do so. I'd rather say that this is a trap– wait. What's that?"

A muted noise, which sounded like a group of wilds horses were trotting towards them, chimed in the room. Kira jumped out of his chair and ran to the bedroom, shouting to his baffled friend in process, "My cells! Change the ring tone last night."

A quick 'Hello?' later and Cagalli's firm voice cruised through the receiver. "Can you put me on display?"

"One second," he replied and rushed back to the living room, phone in hand. He put it on a device set atop the television and searched around for a remote control, during which Athrun had plopped himself on the couch, ready to watch. A second later, Cagalli's face appeared on the screen, under her chin the front page of an Inter ORB was spread out widely, covering her whole body but half of her fingers and the desk.

"Nice choice of outfit," Athrun remarked, a finger scratching his chin.

Cagalli shot him a sour look and lowered the paper stiffly as if she had been posing for hours. "I take it you two have known about this then." She smoothed the paper on her desk and turned to them, "Any comment?"

"I have no idea," said Kira as he slumped into an empty couch. "What about you? Got any situation there?"

She leant back to her high-backed chair – which had never been a good sign according to their experiences – and replied gravely, "My board wants you and me to take a blood test."

They all lapsed to silence. Kira broke it a moment later, clearly in disbelief, "Why? Don't they trust you?"

"You talk as if you don't know the world of politics, Kira," Athrun sighed from across the coffee table. "They don't care if a politician is prodigious – or even godlike – as long as he or she has the slightest indication to be involved in a scandal. I won't argue if you find that world disdainful because I do too." He stopped, still scratching his chin, and then spoke up again, "Alright. How big is the possibility that they're just playing with the two of you?"

Kira offered him a grim smile. "And they wanted her to abrogate the gun law? Nil."

"They could have just tell us," Cagalli added from the screen. "In the end we still know about this and lose nothing. I don't even have to abrogate the law now that the news has leaked out."

"There is the scandal though," Kira reminded her.

"We can clear it up," she answered with a defiant look on her face. Kira was about to argue again when a small beep interrupted him. He leapt out of the couch, took a look at the screen on his cell phone, and groaned once he had read the name there

"It's my mother."

Cagalli gave him a _look _and started to collect her newspaper. "Well, I'll call you again later then."

"No, I'll get back to her after this," he quickly said. "Where were we?"

"Are you sure?" She was still looking uneasily at him.

"Yes, I know she's going to discuss the news. I need to think of what to say to her anyway," Kira slumped back to the couch, suppressing the hollow laugh that was floating in his throat. "So where were we?"

"The possibility of a scandal," Athrun supplied helpfully.

There was a stern, instantaneous respond from Cagalli. "It isn't a possibility. It _is_ already a scandal."

"Point taken. So this scandal–" Another beep went off and the blue-haired Coordinator threw an exasperated look to Kira who had gotten on his feet for the second time and walked to his mobile. "I _really_ think you should pick it up."

Instead of following his friend's advice, Kira only returned to his seat. "Nope, it's my boss. Maybe he just can't wait to fire me, so let's continue, okay?" He averted his eyes to Cagalli's waiting gaze. "How are you doing there yourself?"

"Nobody up here can fire me," she replied with a touch of pride – or something less self-centered since her smile could be only described as benign. "Only the people can."

"That's good to hear," said Kira quietly.

"Why?"

"Your people love you," he stated, feeling proud himself at the fact. "They are not going to change that only because of this piece of news."

"'This piece of news' you're talking about is pretty serious, you know?" she pointed out, the faintest hint of bitter amusement in her voice. It made Kira smile nonetheless.

"They'll be with you," was his firm but softly uttered reply, unaware that his friend was observing him from the side with a little smile on his lips. When he did though, he sent a half-hearted glare at Athrun's direction and cleared his throat, "So, how is it–"

Again, there was a ringing sound – this time not a beep – cutting him and Cagalli looked as if she was ready to terminate the communication link just on the basis of the number of interruptions it kept dealing with. Kira sighed and glowered at Athrun who was taking his cell phone out from his pocket and grinning apologetically at his two friends. "Sorry, people," he stood up from his seat, mimicking a 'go ahead' gesture at both of them, and disappeared behind the bedroom's door.

Kira stared at the closed door for a little while, suddenly feeling marginally uncomfortable with his friend's absence, but then turned back to the screen, fingers fondling with one end of his shirt. The subject that rose however, wasn't exactly what he had intended.

"He can't seem to get away from his cell phone since last night."

"I think I understand that," Cagalli said with a light smile.

Another silence settled between them – a heavy one which Kira didn't quite enjoy – and so he once again took the responsibility to break it into his hands. "So, uh, have any of them said anything yet?"

"Them?" she raised her thin eyebrows.

"Your important people, the board, anyone?"

She nodded her understanding, answering with a slight shrug, "Just that, the blood test. I've made a statement that I really had no idea of this fact before today."

"So, they take it as a mistake? That this is purely an accident on our part?"" he pressed on, his voice coming out more anxious than he intended.

Cagalli set him an uneasy gaze. "Kira, look–"

The door to the bedroom flung open and Athrun's head appeared, the cell phone still held below his ear. "Excuse me, Kira, is there any chance that _that_ is a dual-display?" he asked, pointing at the device resting on the television.

"Yeah, why?"

Athrun was practically grinning now as he strode back into the living room. "Yzak has something to tell you both." He placed his own mobile into the slot behind Kira's and went to his previous seat. "You want to hear this, believe me."

Now the screen was split vertically into two, the sullen face of Yzak Jule appeared on the screen, clearly showing that he was _not_ having the time of the world. His voice was no less truculent when he started, "Listen. The first and foremost, I do this only because I am interested at the difficulty and the lack of provided information I have received. Do not assume that I am willing to do this to help any of yo– hey! Are you grinning there?"

"No, not a bit," Athrun immediately put up his most neutral, innocent face while Kira was biting his own laugh back. "Please continue, Commander,"

Still glowering at his former rival, Yzak continued, "I made a research about the man whose profile you had sent me and it appears that Josh Lynkan, the reporter of _Heliopolis Today_, does not exist."

"I've checked that too," Cagalli spoke up quietly. "No reporter in _Heliopolis Today_ has the name Josh Lynkan and no one matches his criteria either. He's faking his ID."

"Apparently," Yzak agreed, "but I checked a little further and found this," and produced from nowhere a black-and-white photograph which he held high for them to see. "Is this your man?"

"Yeah, that's him," Kira verified at once. "How did you find him?"

"A couple of old files and a copy of a video from a security camera in front of the Athha's residence," he explained offhandedly while Cagalli looked severely astonished. "Durk Langorn, 34 years-old, several small crime records, nothing really worth mentioning. It's sort of surprising that he can be involved in a case this big."

"Wait," Athrun suddenly interjected, "I didn't recall telling you that this man...was _that _man."

"Do you think I'm stupid, Representative Zala?" Yzak's glare intensified for several volts. "In ZAFT, if you are investigating someone, it will be advisable for you to obtain and memorize every single information about the subject. It is unbelievable that you have forgotten that particular policy."

Athrun grinned. "No offense, Commander,"

"Noted," the white-haired officer smiled tartly at his colleague, then returned to his report. "I sent Dearka down there and this is the result he gave me: _Target is sighted in HoldMe Seaside Motel, the west coast of Onogoro Island. I'm ready to shoot him from where I am on your signal, Sir_. I got it just this morning, approximately twenty minutes ago."

Athrun looked exceedingly impressed. "A very good work, Commander,"

"Thank you, Sir," was the short, sour reply.

"You have my deepest gratitude," a small, soft voice rose and Yzak turned a pair of nervous eyes to Cagalli. Kira would be willing to bet his every single money that he saw a blush on the young commander's cheek. That was for being so pale.

"Don't mention it," Yzak responded with a strained voice. "Like I said, this is also an interesting case for me."

"I bet," Athrun remarked, overlooking the death glare sent on his way and hiding his smile openly beneath another question. "How do you get the information from ORB by the way?"

Yzak fixed him a stern, fierce look. "I worked under the pact signed between ZAFT and the ORB Military. I said that we had an escaped convict who had brought with him crucial information of which we could not disclose, and of course they were 'willing' to help us. Under the pact, mind you."

"I love you, Yzak."

"Rejected," the officer said acidly and terminated the connection, leaving Athrun grinning widely to Kira.

"What do you think?" he asked Kira, ignoring the heart stabbing act his best friend was mocking, and then turned to Cagalli who was eyeing both of them in patent incredulity.

"I must review that pact."

"Oh, come on, Cagalli, that's just for this once," Kira waved his hands desperately. "You can review it later – much, much later – but what's he said again? HoldMe Seaside Motel? What kind of name is that?"

Cagalli had already risen from her seat. "I'm not complaining now. Let's get down there and see who's waiting for us."

"Does your schedule actually permit that?"

"I permit that," she answered sternly. "And I do think that a raid will be much more productive than attending a meeting which sole purpose is to discuss my choose of husband." She crumpled the newspaper into a small ball and tossed it to the paper bin Kira knew was placed strategically under the desk, still muttering, "A full-Congress meeting! And that's only because I miss something during my endless search of a spouse." She set her glare back at her friends, "So are we going or not?"

Kira shrugged. "Sounds good to me," and the communication link was off.

"You may want to wear a bulletproof vest," said Athrun as he rose from the couch.

Kira paused on his strides and turned back to face his friend, incredulity and apprehension battling on his face. "Is there any chance that the man is a hysterical lunatic?"

"No," the other Coordinator was now suppressing a smile, which Kira was unfortunately aware of. "I'm just anticipating the whole lots of reporters and mass who may be waiting for you downstairs."

"Let's get through the back door then," he said, resuming his walk to the bathroom. "Do we have a revolver?"

"ORB's C.E. 75 Personal Possessing of Gun Act article one stated that–"

"Right, I remember that," he smiled grimly to his friend, then added before closing the bathroom's door, "Which means none of us has a gun?"

"Dearka does if he's still down there," Athrun said with a patient look. "By the way, your office?"

"Forget it, I'll just give my boss a ring," Kira muttered and shut the door behind him.

"And your mother too!"

_- To be continued -_

* * *

**Notes:** Faster but also shorter than my usual standard. I can guarantee that the next chapter won't be as fast though. I'm sorry that some people seem to disagree with me about Cagalli's 'harsh' personality. That's really your problem though and I won't change her in this fanfiction. Still, thank you for reading. 

For some reasons I think that I need a beta-reader. Is there anyone who can help me in this? Thank you for all who have reviewed. Hope you still enjoy this story.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: A Little Too Late**

**Author: Jusrecht**

See _Disclaimer_ and _Warnings_ in the first chapter

_Note: _I'll add another the pairing that will be included in this story: _Athrun/Cagalli_ and _Shinn/Athrun_. Yes, go Athrun!

* * *

"Why did you ask for his help?"

Athrun looked away from the scenery of ORB's full traffic at nine in the morning to his friend who was sitting rigidly behind the steering wheel. "Are you angry with me?" No respond, and so he said carefully, "Alright, maybe that's not within my authority to take those measures, but I just want to help. Cagalli was clearly not able to do anything without disclosing _that_ news to her men and I thought Yzak would be inclined to lend a hand."

"'_Inclined'_ is not the word," Kira pointed out, his rigidity lessened considerably by a small smile that was tugging the corners of his lips.

"Okay, and neither is '_willing'_ so we'll settle with '_He would agree to help'_," Athrun resolved.

Head still facing forward, Kira glanced apologetically from the corner of his eyes. "You're not taking any offense on that, are you?"

"Of course not or I won't be able to live in the world of full-of-offensiveness-yes-Sir politics."

Kira suppressed a wave of chuckles and gathered his attention back to the problem they were facing right now. They had been informed by a dubious police officer that HoldMe Seaside Motel could be found five minutes driving from the highway. Slowing down his car, he scanned his surrounding, looking hopefully for a sign of their destination and altogether trying to avoid catching a glimpse of anything that remotely bore the slightest resemblance to newspaper. When he found nothing that could possibly rouse his interest, he turned back to Athrun. "Do you suppose this motel has a billboard or something?"

"Not a clue," his friend mumbled, his head bent low on an opened map and a cell phone pressed to his earlobe. "And for some reasons I can't get a hold on Dearka. What the hell is he doing?"

Pulling over his car in front of a video store, Kira suggested, "Maybe I should ask somebody."

A hand grabbed his arm before he could undo his seatbelt. "No, I'll do that," Athrun said firmly, closing the map on his lap. "Do you realize that more than a half of the population will have memorized your face by now? You've made it into the headline today."

"I am so close to forgetting that and now you tell me?" Kira made a face and propped his chin on the steering wheel, mocking a pout. "By all means, my friend– wait. What does that look like to you?"

His friend looked at the direction he was pointing and noted the sign at once. "HoldM– Hot–?" Then he turned back to Kira with a pair of raised eyebrows. "You definitely hit the jackpot. Better to leave your car here, by the way. You don't want it to get involved if things get rough."

Following Athrun out of his car, Kira asked, "You think things may get rough?"

Athrun shot him an exasperated look. "Kira, you are talking about _probability._ Of course it may get rough. Everything may get rough. We going out for a peaceful, undisturbed breakfast may get rough!"

After crossing the street with quick strides, Kira asked again, more carefully this time – and that still could not diminish the amusement that had painted his voice brightly. "Is there any chance that you are somehow nervous, Athrun?"

"Not in the least, and don't you get funny ideas," his friend barked at him and advanced to the motel's entrance. It was then when the rows of palm trees which were planted lining the pathway gave away a peculiar twitch and a man wearing a blue cap that hid his face leapt out from the plants. A moment later, said man had been pinned down to the hard, cemented floor by Athrun, who declared with a mingling of suppressed impatience and amusement, "It's too early to even _think _of ambushing me, Vice-Commander."

The man stood up with a groan immediately after Athrun released him and Kira recognized the grinning face of Dearka Elthman. "I see you haven't lost your touch, my lord Representative. And hi to you too, Kira."

"Long time no see, Dearka," Kira nodded at the dark-skinned ZAFT officer. "So this man you were talking about–"

A black, formal-looking car appeared from a corner and stopped in front of his parked car. Cagalli emerged from the car, face wrinkled into a frown, followed by a tall man a moment later from the other side. Even from across the road, Kira could still hear him talking, "– the most minimum measures of protection for the leader of a crucial country–"

"But this is urgent, Kisaka!" Cagalli was also shouting above the whir of the passing vehicles.

"It is within my understanding that this is without a doubt _urgent_, milady, but this is also outrageous and not to mention, dangerous, for you to–"

Cagalli raised a hand, which stopped his flood of words as they had reached the other side of the road, and turned to the tall man. "I'm not wasting any more word on this, General, and unless you want to notify this madman of my hereabout, I advise you to shut up." After that she set her fierce gaze to the three young men waiting for her. "So, what do we have here?"

"The madman," Dearka answered with a grin, accepting Cagalli's sullen glare full-heartedly. "He's staying in room 123 – great number, isn't it? He doesn't know what's waiting for him. And he's been there since yesterday, at least according to the motel manager."

"Usually if there is this kind of condition in TVs, that man is either dead or hiding under of his bed shaking with terror," she muttered under her breath.

"I don't know that you still have time to watch detective series, my lady," Dearka commented again – and ignored her glare again. "You forgot to mention armored with dynamites in case he is compelled to self-detonate, by the way. So who'll go in first?"

"You're the man with the golden gun," Athrun said and promptly stepped aside to open a path.

"Understood, Representative," Dearka sighed and readied his revolver. "Is there going to be any military backup or we have to handle this by ourselves until the end?"

"Yes, there is," Kisaka quickly answered before Cagalli had the chance to open her mouth. He met her glare with calm confidence and continued, "Safety measures, milady, and I strongly recommend you not to step into that motel."

She waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever, but I'm still going in."

"Forgive me for putting it so bluntly, but I will not let you put your feet into that motel at any cost, not even if–"

"Alright, alright! Just go in, you three!" Cagalli relented with a frown and crossed her arms in front of her chest, scowling at the pathway while grumbling, "I'll wait here and see if I can get the manager to chat with me and my insufferable general..."

The three of them went into the motel and Dearka quickly approached the manager, explaining quietly to him. The manager was trying to raise a few arguments but then kept his mouth shut at the sight of his ZAFT's badge and reluctantly showed the way to room 123. On their way, they came across with several guests who hastily moved away from their path.

"Don't brandish your gun, Dearka, you're scaring the guests," Athrun mumbled to his dark-skinned friend. "I will appreciate it very much if you don't help us to get sued because we don't exactly have the permission to do this, you know."

The ZAFT officer sighed and threw a look back across his shoulder. "Actually there is something else that really bothers me right now."

"Which is?" asked Kira who sensed that it was not going to be good.

"When I'm about to barge in, what should I say? Normally 'F-B-I' will sound great but I–"

There was a collective groans impeding the rest of his words. "Just get in," Athrun muttered under his breath.

Dearka hid his grin and stopped in front of a door with the number 123 attached to it. The manager had slipped away while Dearka was once again checking his gun, the other two waiting at each side of the door. The next few seconds were a series of blurred images for Kira. He stormed in, vaguely hearing Dearka shouting 'Put your hands down! We are armed!', looked around warily and found no one. A moment later he realized that he was looking at a body lying in the bed, swathed in red.

Immobile.

A voice, small, holding a trembling note, whispered:

"He's dead."

* * *

"Who said that?"

The three young men were waiting in a sunlit room – one of many rooms in ORB's Ministry Building – for Cagalli to finish her official affairs, and two of them were presently looking at Athrun with raised eyebrows. "That he was dead? I bet it was one of us," Dearka pointed out.

"Of course it was one of us. There was nobody else in the room," Athrun shot back impatiently. At the next second, he turned a pair of anxious eyes toward his friends. "Honestly, I just want to know something: Was it _me_ who said that?"

"Listen, Athrun, what is the big deal?" Kira said with a contrastingly patient voice. "The man is not dead and that is what important for us. He was just bathed in blood. Yeah, I know it's a lot of blood and that it's his own blood but he is going to pull through."

"I think I'm having a severe neurosis," his best friend muttered dejectedly.

Kira let out a wearied sigh and placed his hands defensively in front of his chest. "Do you want to know what I think? I think you should return to PLANT for a while."

"Kira–"

"Okay, for a few days then," he cut off before his friend could go on and on with his protest. "Or for a night if you want to. But the fact is, there are matters you cannot handle unless you go back to PLANT."

"Can't say that I don't agree with him, Representative," Dearka contributed from where he stood by the window, his bright eyes slowly averted from the view outside to Athrun's blank gaze. "Things are not going so well there and we gotta admit your position is crucial especially at these times. Oh, and Commander Asuka has been frantically looking for you for the last few days."

The last information seemed to break the ice in Athrun as he whipped his head up to glare at Dearka. "That is entirely irrelevant, Vice-Commander."

"Yes, Sir," the ZAFT officer nodded but his grin was widening.

Still sitting in the middle of the room, Kira stared at both of his friends in turn before finally deciding that he really had no idea what they were discussing about, and asked, "Did I miss something?"

Dearka placed a hand at one corner of his mouth as if to shield it from Athrun's smoldering gaze and whispered conspiratorially, "Shinn asks him out," which took place on the exact moment when Athrun shouted, "Vice-commander Elthman!"

A long silence followed as the three of them looked at each other in various degrees of sentiment. It was Kira who ultimately broke the silence with a tentative question. "Are you joking?"

"No, he's not," Athrun replied abruptly, still looking daggers at Dearka.

"He's not joking or Shinn is not asking you out?"

"Shinn is not asking me out!" the PLANT Representative retorted at the top of his voice and rose to his full height, glaring at every one in the room. "Hey, is this really the time to discuss my utterly nonexistent relationship? I thought we were supposed to focus on that dying madman!"

Fortunately, his voice was quickly overwhelmed by the sound of the door being slammed open from the other side and Cagalli walked in, followed by a woman in immaculate grey suit. Her voice no less piercing than that of Athrun when she snapped, "But I thought he was still in Bahamas! In all honesty, I would rather deal with the Ambassador of India than meet this Secretary of Energy of mine!"

The woman next to her frowned. "My Lady, you cannot candidly make that kind of statement–"

"Okay, so please help me and scratch that out," Cagalli turned to face her, obviously trying to gather what was left of her patience. "Is there anything else, Dora? Anything urgent that demands for my instant attention and without that my country will be blown to pieces? Because I'm not going to handle anything less than that at the moment."

"Yes, the meeting with the Secretary of Energy is at one o'clock, My Lady. Thank you for your attention," the woman nodded and swiftly retreated to the door.

"The only person in the world beside Kisaka who can have a tight grip on her," Kira explained at Athrun's quizzical look, motioning to the closed door as Cagalli protested right at the same moment, "But that's only twenty minutes from now!"

Eventually aware that there was nothing she would gain by shouting to a door, she directed her glare to the remaining inhabitants of the room. "Were you, by any chance, talking about me and my secretary?"

"No, we're talking about Athrun who is asked out by Shinn," Kira answered quickly and realized a second later what he had said when Athrun cast him a dark look from across the table.

"Shinn," she repeated before the comprehension seemed to dawn on her along with something roughly in the weight of a container of hammers onto her head. "_That_ Shinn Asuka?"

"The one and only," Dearka supplied with an impossibly wide grin.

Cagalli fixed a skeptical look on Athrun. "Is this a joke?"

"That is a joke and isn't your purpose here is to inquire about that man?" the blue-haired Coordinator raised his voice above whoever else's that might be inclined to continue the Shinn-asking-him-out discussion. "If I recall it right, you only have fifteen minutes left before your meeting with the respectable Secretary of Energy begin."

With a suppressed smile, Cagalli nodded in acknowledgment. "I agree. So how is our mysterious man?"

Kira leant back into his seat and sighed. "Still critical, which means there isn't any progress yet. There is a third party and we regrettably are one step behind."

"Nothing but luck now then," she said determinedly, as if challenging the goddess of luck herself. "I've ordered an investigation into this matter. I explained that this man was trying to blackmail me with the fact that–" she stopped and so did her eyes, which stayed on Kira for a moment before her voice picking up again, "with the fact that Kira and I were in relationship, which obviously could be a scandal."

"That's good," Kira mumbled with a tense voice and knew nothing else to say. Luckily, Dearka saved him from leaving an uncomfortable silence behind after his words.

"Yeah, because I really have to go back to PLANT before my boss filed a complaint against me."

"Thank you for your help, Dearka," Cagalli smiled at the ZAFT officer. "And please also give my gratitude to Commander Jule for all his times and efforts he has graciously put into this matter."

"His ego is really big enough, Ma'am, so if you don't mind I'll just comfortably skip that part."

"I'll leave that to your wise judgment, Vice-Commander," she answered with an even warmer smile, and then addressed the rest of her guests with a quieter voice, "Thanks for coming, everybody. I guess we can only cross our fingers for the time being and hope the doctors are able to save him. I just have to know who it is that wants me to abrogate the gun law."

"We'll pray, Cagalli," Athrun pressed a comforting hand upon her shoulder.

She beamed at him. Not a wide and truthful one he wished to see, but it was a start anyway. "Thanks. Sorry that I have to leave now. Please keep me updated if you get more information, guys," she said and walked to the door, where she paused for a moment before passing the threshold and looked back with a twinkle in her eyes, "And Athrun, I do think you should go to that date."

"Really, Cagalli, I don't think that is–"

She let a chuckle drowned the rest of his words as the door shut closed behind her.

– _To be continued –_

_

* * *

_

**End Notes: **Just one thing. Review please XD


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: A Little Too Late**

**Author: Jusrecht**

See _Disclaimer_ and _Warnings_ in the first chapter

**Note:** For those who feel disappointed with Athrun's preferences, I'm sorry. But I've given the warning in the first chapter and I have future plans for him, so let's bear it, shall we?

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The elevator came to a halt and Athrun sighed, waiting at a corner as men and women in suits and council attire filed out of the lift, some of them nodding politely at him before disappearing into the after-work crowd. He stepped out after the last man had left with a quiet 'good evening', pace perceptibly slower than the regular rushing all about him.

"Athrun!"

He turned to the voice and smiled as Meyrin hurried to his side, a number of maps cradled in her arm. She frowned when she was close enough to clearly see his face, and said, "You look tired. How was the meeting going?"

"Frittes was raising an argument about human rights, can you believe it?" he complained with a sigh and resumed his steps. "I mean, yes, we are free beings and all, but we cannot create peace without law and order. Even the stupidest, most amateurish politician knows about it. It's a good thing that the majority votes favored the passing of the bill or I'm going to show him what the world without law and order feels like."

She suppressed an amused smile. "That is not a behavior befitting a candidate of the chairman, you know."

"You have just gotten me a great idea to escape from being a chairman, Meyrin, how can I ever repay you?" he said in a mock-gratitude. "I really cannot understand why it has to be _me_. I almost destroyed PLANT twice and everybody knows that I was the pilot of Justice."

"It is not my place to answer that," she replied smoothly and then opened the map on the top of the stack in her hand. "Commander Delaware requests a meeting with you tomorrow morning. He invites you to have breakfast with him at _Terracotta_ at eight o'clock sharp. And then you will have the annual assembly with the Council at eleven, including lunch at half-past one. The subject is the Council's accomplishments and failures for the whole year and after lunch, Chairwoman Canavar will announce the candidates of her successor."

Athrun gave her a half-surprised, half-hopeful look. "I wasn't aware that there was another candidate."

"Of course, it was because you were away for the last three days," Meyrin explained with a sullen look on her face. "Representative Donovar thinks that this may be a good opportunity for him to run for the election, that sneaky coward. He even said that we should not put hope on an irresponsible man, which I'm sure he meant you and your absence. But it's okay because nobody likes him anyway."

"Now, that is the speech not befitting a candidate of the chairman's secretary," Athrun teased her.

"And I thought you _were_ reluctant to be the chairman," she shot back with raised eyebrows. "Just surrender to your fate, Athrun, and run for the election. And by the way, Chairwoman Canavar asked me to give you her best regards because she cannot see you in person yet and, as I quote: _Pay attention to your health. The election is due in one month._" Meyrin fixed him a solemn look. "She was furious you know, when she found out that you were in ORB."

Athrun frowned. "She knew that I was down there?"

"Everyone knew you were down there, Athrun," Meyrin waved her hand exasperatedly into the air. "This is not the first time you leave PLANT for the pilot of Freedom."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious," he smiled grimly at her. "Which means that there will really be a problem if I am to leave PLANT again for a few days."

"Yes."

He sighed. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind,"

"But you're going no matter what, right?" she accused with a tone which said that she indeed _knew_ and better he didn't think to lie to her.

Athrun smiled again, but it was warm this time. "I have no idea that you know me so well, Meyrin."

"Yes, whatever. Just make sure you speak to the Chairwoman if you intend to go. I really don't want to put up with any questioning which I do not know the answer myself."

Still smiling, he put his arm around her shoulders and said apologetically, "I'm sorry. I was hurried and I completely forgot about everything else but the news that I had just heard."

Her expression softening, Meyrin decided that she couldn't fight _that _smile and settled for a mock-pout. "Okay, just make sure you tell your secretary then."

"Of course. And thank you, Meyrin, I owe you dinner," Athrun released her, ready to walk to his car that was waiting for him

"No, thanks, all my evenings are booked by Youlan and I don't want him to get strange ideas because he knows that I had a tiny little crush on you which I no longer have as a matter of fact, but he may not believe it because sometimes he likes being a jealous lover over someone who is much, much more superior than him which describes you perfectly."

Hand still for a moment at the handle of his car's backdoor, Athrun stared at her, amusement barely concealed. "Did you just say that in one intake of breath?"

"Oh, go home and get some sleep, Sir Representative," Meyrin said firmly and obviously was suppressing a grin. He merely smiled in return and was about to open the door to his car when she added with a louder voice, "And don't forget to eat! You have to do something with that skinny body of yours!"

Not answering, Athrun only waved at her and slipped to the backseat. Once inside, he leant back to the plush seat with a sigh and closed his eyes contentedly as his chauffeur asked, "Straight to home, Sir?"

"Yes, Roderick," he answered without opening his eyes. All of a sudden he felt tired beyond words, as if the burdens of a week decided to deluge him all together at the moment. There was still a ridiculously full schedule ahead of him, he reminded himself bitterly, and admitted with a sinking heart that it might as well be after the election when he finally had the time to visit Kira and Cagalli again. It was still a month away and to think that his friends had to face the world without him by their side made him feel angry to himself. Athrun was thinking along the line of retiring early when suddenly he realized _what _he had been thinking and finally came to a conclusion that he really needed a long, good sleep.

It was why that when his cell phone suddenly rang, Athrun felt that it was better if he did not own a cell phone. At all. His opinion about phones in general did not improve when he found out who the caller was.

"Athrun Zala."

"Representative, there is a piano recital in Francois Hotel tonight at eight. Is there any chance that you can go out with me to the recital?"

Massaging his throbbing temple, Athrun suppressed a string of curses that clearly would not befit a respectable representative of PLANT and replied with a tight voice, "Listen, Commander Asuka, do you really want to ask me out right now? Tonight?"

"Uh...yes Sir," Shinn's voice was hesitant as if he was unsure of the ground he was treading upon – which probably was the actual problem. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

The big question asked, Athrun inhaled deeply and then, feeling that a vein had exploded in his ear, shouted to the phone. "I'll tell you why it's wrong! I haven't slept for two days because some imbecile has decided to replace three containers of grains with cranes! Representative Frittes was looking for a fight with me during the Inter Colony Security Meeting and my best friends are apparently brother-and-sister! I really like to blow off somebody's head right now! Do you still want to ask me out now?"

A long, pregnant silence met the end of his outburst and Athrun could see Roderick wincing from the rearview mirror. Fingers still massaging his brow, he once again closed his eyes, immediately regretting his temper tantrum. And then Shinn's voice rose again, much more careful this time but he could still detect some less repentant hints lying underneath which tore him off between annoyance and bitter amusement.

"There will be capital punishment for blowing my head off, Sir."

Athrun was so close to tossing his cell phone out of the window – to hell with it, he just wanted to rest and forgot that the world and its problems existed. "Do I really have to deal with you now?"

Now he was sure he had just heard a chuckle coming from the line and for some obvious reasons wished that Shinn were before him in person so that he could glare at him and do things that none of his supporters for the Chairman seat would appreciate since it might put him in jail for the rest of his life. He was in the middle of developing several scenarios of homicide when Shinn suddenly asked, "Are you going back to ORB right now, Representative?"

"I can't," he sighed – at least it was a normal question he could answer without humiliating himself further. "I still have many things to do here and speaking of that, a commander wants a meeting with me tomorrow at eight. That's why I'm going to get home now and sleep straight until morning."

Another long silence occurred. Athrun stared out of the window, not really seeing anything but a face he knew would be haunting him for the rest of his life, and waited. He only hoped that Shinn would understand. He needed rest. He really needed it.

But he forgot that he also needed to eat.

"You know something? I can come and bring you food if you want, and then we can have dinner together and talk about things."

"Shinn–"

"That's the first time I hear you exploding like that, you know," the words tumbling out so fast almost liked it was because Shinn didn't want to hear what he was going to say. Athrun bit his lips, aware that it was error of his part, and refused to give any comment on that, letting yet another silence to fill in the blank. After what felt like a century later, there was a small sigh breaking the silence between them and Shinn spoke again, softer this time, "Sorry, it takes some times for the shock to wear off."

He winced – for a moment grateful that the commander was in fact not there in front of him or he could see it – and then rearranged his tone of voice to what one could count as patient. "In case this one little fact escapes your memory, Shinn, I happen to be a human too."

"Yeah, I realize that," his interlocutor was quick to respond as if he wanted to cover a misspeaking. "But you don't seem to be as human as you did back then in Minerva."

Athrun knew that it was true, and yet he still said, "That was six years ago."

"I know, people change and stuff," Shinn admitted reluctantly and sighed again. "I really don't mean to pry, but that problem of your friends really bothers you, doesn't it?"

"It's called prying, Commander."

Athrun could almost sense panic and something much subtler he really didn't wish to find out what coming from the phone. "No, I just want to tell you– I mean, I want to let you know that– what I mean is if you want to talk about it–"

"I don't like French," he heard himself saying and almost as immediate, bit his tongue so hard that it must be bleeding now. He had just said it.

"Excuse me, Sir?"

Shinn's voice was so thin that Athrun had to force himself not to chuckle or let a wry smile carried by his voice through the line. "I don't like French food," he repeated more carefully, more softly. "You can bring anything but that."

"Okay," was the quiet, meek answer before he terminated the connection.

All the way home, Athrun saw a mass of pink hair dancing wildly in the air behind his closed eyelids.

But he couldn't reach her.

* * *

The clock was showing the number 11:30.

Kira had been staring at it since it had turned 11:10 and now wondered why he was still staring at it. There was no answer it could give to all of his problems, really. It couldn't change the fact that he and Cagalli were siblings either, which had turned out to be an official affair today. She had called him earlier that afternoon and informed him that the blood test result had just come out. There was no doubt; they were twins.

On that moment, Kira had felt too numb to feel anything else. Nothing had improved much since then for he had attempted to do less than nothing about it, content to bury his head under the mountain of paperwork on his desk and pay no heed to anything else. Being a vice-president demanded a great portion of his concentration and Kira was determined to keep it that way. Work was good. It completely kept his mind off matters he didn't wish to attend to, although perhaps only for a little while.

But now it was night. No more work to be finished and the office had gone too quiet for hours. The silence was suffocating, but he was reluctant to return to the tired but patient smile of his mother and too afraid to come back alone to the emptiness of his apartment. And so he stayed and tended his dark thoughts.

He should have seen these coming. Especially with Cagalli's position and importance, this chain of events were rather inevitable. Should have been prepared for these, Kira cursed himself, finally looking away from the clock and turning his chair around to the colorful night of ORB. There are some he could deal with. People calling him 'incestuous bastard' was one thing but hearing them accusing Cagalli such as 'how can someone run the country if she can't hold her own personal need' was entirely another, which he did not take so well. She had worked too hard for her country to deserve such comments directed at her. He only wished her people really loved her enough than to be swayed by the incident.

Still, her opponents, her rivals and those who disliked her in the political battlefield wouldn't go easy on her. It was the drawback of being so loved by the people – that kind of jealousy could prove to be harmful. Those people had means to obtain what they wanted. It was during times like this when Kira felt that he should stay by her side, supporting her, but he couldn't even do that now without fearing that chins would wag.

He was, after all, Cagalli's brother.

Another surge of headache invaded the rest of the empty space in his head and Kira sighed. In Athrun's company, his mind had been constantly guided away from those disturbing thoughts. Now, they were rushing back at him like the merciless waves of vengeance. Work had successfully distracted him of course, but not only once or twice he had found himself looking at the phone, longing to hear Athrun or Cagalli's voice.

Once again he sighed and whirled his chair around, reluctantly admitting that he had to go home anyway. Suddenly Kira felt his heart stop for a moment when he noticed a figure leaning on the doorframe, and breathed in relief at the next second once he recognized his employer's frowning face.

"Sir?" he called out after finding his voice back, a shade of uncertainty in it, "what are you doing here at this hour?"

"I can ask you the exact same question," the older man replied flatly.

"I was just–" his unprepared answer stopped at that point and Kira realized that there was no reason he could give but the truth, which he himself was still unsure about. It was so stupid to say that he had spent hours looking at his desk clock. But his employer was still looking at him, a question tinted with blunt glares in them, and Kira replied weakly, "There are works I have to do, Sir."

"You can finish them tomorrow," was the sharp respond and Kira had to admit that his reason was pathetically lame. He hummed something noncommittal and rose from his seat, trying to busy himself with some papers, anything to avoid looking at his superior. This was what he got from knowing his boss personally.

"Your mother doesn't appreciate you hiding it from her," suddenly the older man spoke up again.

Kira looked up carefully and, meeting the tired gaze, nodded. "Yes, Sir, I've talked to her."

The man was still eyeing him for a while, slight mistrust clearly drawn in the shape of a frown on his temple. But in the end, he only sighed and said, "Go home, Kira, and tomorrow morning cook breakfast for her. You will need her support to get through this."

A little nod was all he could give in return because Kira suddenly felt that a big lump had decided to settle in his throat. He stood still behind his desk, thinking about his mother, listening to the door being closed from the other side.

Not a second later, the door flung open again loudly and the older man reappeared at the threshold.

"Listen, son, I don't give a damn to what you do with your love life," he declared suddenly and harshly, a fierce scowl hardening his features. Paying no heed to Kira's surprised look, he continued quickly, "I mean, yes, I _will_ give a damn if that can get you AIDS or something but I understand that you didn't know she was your sister. It wasn't your fault, do you understand me? Don't think that the world will blame you for it." He paused for a moment, taking in the fact that the younger man was still rooted to where he was, before then his voice gained a softer quality and he asked, "Do you love her, son?"

"Yes," Kira answered without thinking. It was one of few questions he had absolutely no need to think about. He knew the answer for sure.

A small grin lit his employer's face and Kira thought that probably the world was not as cruel as he initially thought. The older man crossed his arms and said again, "Do you still love her now, knowing that she is your sister and all?"

Kira smiled despite himself – although perhaps it was a little too melancholy to be called a smile. It was yet another of _those_ questions. "Yes."

"Then go for it."

"It isn't right, Sir," he responded automatically, surprising even himself at how fast the argument gushed out of his mouth. "I mean, what are people going to say? You may not mind but I don't know about others. She's going to have a lot of troubles because of it and–" he paused, unable to continue because the rest of his words were stuck in his throat. It was the silent sympathy in the other man's eyes which forced them to leak out a minute later, even though his voice sounded too thin to his liking.

"She won't be able to live without her people."

"Then let her go," his employer's voice suddenly gained its earlier harshness. "Don't do anything half-heartedly, son, you'll only insult her,"

_It wasn't that easy,_ Kira was ready to argue once more but the older man had disappeared behind the door, now shut tightly and not reopening. Kira wondered if he had annoyed his boss with his answers but...

But he knew that he must decide what course to take soon.

He thought of the ring he had yet to buy, and then of Cagalli's smile, and sighed.

Very soon.

* * *

**Notes:** Next chapter is finally the long-awaited Kira-Cagalli angst/romance. Sorry for taking so long to reach that part. Thank you for reading! Please review! 


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